The Ohio football season Ohio in 2020 seemed all over. Ever since athletic director Gene Smith announced that there were no prospects of disbanding the Big Ten for even a year, following the conference’s decision to cancel fall sports this fall due to COVID-19, it looks like the Buckeyes fought an emerging battle.
That didn’t stop Scarlet and Gray, as quarterbacks Justin Fields published a petition asking the Big Ten to reconsider that the fastest became the latest sports news story in the country, head coach Ryan Day supposed his star player and parents have continued to express their hope that there will be a season. But, as it was described to Bucknuts, this was all a last-ditch effort.
Well, maybe these tactics work.
According to longtime college football writer Jeff Snook, who has earned a degree from Ohio State and the Buckeyes for years, the hope for the Scarlet and Gray to play in the fall is not dead, at least not yet around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center . Snook, who is retired and works for no outlet but remains well connected in the Ohio State and college football area, reported Tuesday night that, according to sources, Smith and the Buckeyes are still hoping for a 10-game season in 2020 and try to convince five other Big Ten programs to participate in this mini-season.
From Snook’s report:
In this proposed format, each team would play the other five Big Ten teams participating twice – once at home and once on the road, starting on September 26 or October 3. The season would end until mid-December and there would be no Big Ten. title game in Indianapolis.
As of Tuesday night, the source claimed that Penn State President Eric Barron, Nebraska President Walter “Ted” Carter and Iowa President Bruce Harreld are on board with the new plan. The group hopes to persuade two other universities, in particular the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan, to participate.
“They really need to stop Wisconsin and Michigan from coming to six schools and doing this thing,” the source said. ‘And they only have so much time to do it. They need to make progress and do it for the next seven to 10 days. “
Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, who coached the Badgers from 1990-2005, is a strong supporter of the plan, but has yet to convince UW President Drew Peterson, the source said. Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manual, a former Wolverine player under Bo Schembechler, and coach Jim Harbaugh also want to participate this fall season, but school president Mark Schlissel has so far opposed their efforts. Schlissel, who has a medical degree, spoke in support of ‘player safety’ following the Big Ten’s announcement last week.
“This thing probably won’t go anywhere unless certain Big Ten presidents – like those in Michigan and Wisconsin – feel the pressure from their alumni, fans and especially their big donors,” the source said. ‘I understand that several donors of seven and eight figures in Michigan are very unhappy about the Big Ten’s decision and put pressure on their president to change his mind. And they may threaten to withhold their money.
“If they can get six schools to participate, then the remaining Big Ten schools will have the choice to join them or choose the season.”
The Big Ten originally announced a new, all-inclusive conference schedule on August 5 with windows for relocated games to give teams flexibility in the event of an outbreak. Six days later, the conference announced that it did not believe it was safe enough to play fall sports. The Pac-12 soon joined the Big Ten, but the SEC, ACC and Big 12 have continued plans for football and other sports with new schedules and updated COVID-19 protocols.
According to an earlier report by Snook, which confirmed statements by athletic directors around the conference, the Big Ten presidents did not vote on canceling the season. Instead, according to Snook, the presidents “held a back-and-forth discussion, led by new commissioner Kevin Warren “and led to the cancellation of fall sports and the hope of a spring season, following Warren’s report from the start.
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Over the past several days, parents from Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Big Ten’s decision, believing that their sons are safer in the athletic facilities, where they regularly testing for the virus and its focus on a football then be the alternative of an average student on campus.
If there is to be hope of a 2020 fall season between any Big Ten teams, they need to act fast. Teams were told they would move to full practice the Saturday before the Big Ten announced their decision, putting the team behind the eight-ball when it gets ready. But if Ohio State can find five teams that want to, and can play, and figure out how this would work, they will all be on the same playing field when it comes to being ready for a season.
